[dyzan]

The picture just captures that, " So this is what victory tastes like?", LOL.
Fri Feb 26, 2010 1:23 am EST
IOC to investigate Canadian women's hockey team for celebration

By Chris Chase

The International Olympic Committee will investigate the actions of Canadian women's hockey players who celebrated their gold medal victory Thursday night by swigging beer and smoking cigars on the ice in Vancouver.
A number of players, including 18-year-old superstar Marie-Philip Poulin, were drinking alcohol on the ice following the team's 2-0 defeat of the United States. (The legal drinking age in British Columbia is 19.) Players lingered for more than 70 minutes after the awards ceremony reveling in the arena, which was empty except for media and arena staff. (Click here to view a slideshow of the celebration.)
Gilbert Felli, the IOC's executive director of the Olympic Games, said that drinking in public was "not what we want to see" from athletes at an Olympic venue. The organization will investigate the actions and will speak with the international hockey federation and Canadian Olympic Committee and ask them to "act accordingly."
Steve Keough, a spokesman for the Canadian Olympic Committee, told the Associated Press, “We condone celebrations. … We don’t condone actions of irresponsibility. I think Canadians understand it’s quite an emotional moment for our team. It was not our intention to go against any IOC protocols.”
To be sure, the Canadian women's hockey team should have acted with more class and been a little more discreet with its celebration. But to do something drastic like ban the team from the Closing Ceremony or force them out of the Olympic Village would be an overreaction. In past Olympics we've seen steroids, political boycotts, cheating and judging scandals. A few puffs of a cigar hardly seems to be in the same league.
---



True, maybe a little * wrong place, wrong time *.
But HEY!, they did just WIN The Gold!!!

dyzan.
~waves~

so they are doing an investigation because they celebrated with cigars and beer?

Come on...

even if it's not "classy" enough it's not like they were getiing skunk drunk and skating around the rink in the nude

If a men's hockey team were to celebrate in the same way, I doubt anyone would have kicked up such a fuss. Maybe I'm biased because I'm Canadian, but they'd just beaten their long-time hockey rivals and won another gold medal in their home country (in a great game too! Shutout.). Let them celebrate.

[loveregardless]

I don't know what we're talking about, but I brought my sense of humor.

I get that it must be olympic oriented. Darn my lack of a television!!

[lynn P.]

I certainly don't think they should be banned from closing ceremonies. It wasn't the smartest decision to do though, but what the hay. When I first saw the picture I thought they were smoking marijuana lol.

me too Lynn!
but then I read the article and though "Ooooh that makes a little more sense" if they were smoking wacky-tobacky then I could understand all of the fuss

[Naturefreak]

Lol . good for them.

[lynn P.]

Even though I'm not a fan of smoking or drinking this is a once in a lifetime chance - so let them celebrate. Yeah Canada!!! We needed that after the men lost to the good ol USA

Besides, it said in the article that everybody had left at that point and it was just the press so really, who cares? It's not like they were getting their party on the rub the victory in the other team's face, or where in front of an entire crowd...

[splitimage]

It's Canada. It's beer. It's hockey. They all go together. The IOC needs to lighten up - badly.

--splitimage

[dyzan]

Originally Posted by loveregardless

I don't know what we're talking about, but I brought my sense of humor.

I get that it must be olympic oriented. Darn my lack of a television!!

http://www.streamick.com/

http://www.hulu.com/

Whispers to loveregardless, television is here.points to links. LOL.
hulu does not yet have UK link. But streamick does.



dyzan.
~waves~

[sanityseeker]

I'm not okay with underaged kids drinking. Period!! Other altheletes got sent home because of inappropriate conduct so we shouldn't be so quick to brush off this as innocent celebrating. Underage drinking is a real problem in Canada that too many parents in my opinion don't take seriously enough. The team should be treated the same as any other athelete has been treated. Whoever supplied them with the booze should be charged just like any other adult would be charged if caught supplying a kid with booze. Maybe I am too legalistic about these things but it bugs me that just because they are who they are the rules are brushed aside.

[dyzan]

sanityseeker,

I did start this thread. So I am also compelled to be accepting of comments made in it.

sanityseeker, I do not believe you are being to "legalistic" in your opinion. for it IS the Law.

And yes, in a perfect world, all would be obeying of the rules and laws that make a society run with the least amount of grief and upset to the whole.

But. Shamefully the system is not perfect. And with that said, the IOC, has stated that they will look into this matter.

So as not to seem as though I am not still ROFLOL at that picture. (had everyone been of age). It is, as I titled this thread (SOH). It is just that expression: (where I captioned) "So this is what victory tastes like".

dyzan.
~waves~

[sanityseeker]

sorry.... guess I lost my sense of humour today. I am just really disappointed with those girls. They were supported by our tax dollars to compete and hopefully to win and now they disrespect our laws.
In fairness the IOC needs to treats them the same way as they have treated others who have exhibited inappropriate conduct. Sadly that does mean they should not be allowed to attend the closing ceremonies because that is what was taken from other athletes in situations where laws were not broken but mearly moral lines crossed.
Nope no sense of humour today.... just disappoiintment that they didn't do better.

[dyzan]

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ H U G }}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
sanityseeker,


dyzan.
~waves~

[Yoda]

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.

Go Canada!!

[Ascension]

I am not offended by the young ladies celebrating a well deserved victory. They have spent the majority of their lives dedicated to a passion. I agree that in such a world televised venue underage drinking isn't acceptable, but I hope the ruling bodies are considering the very issue is her age and sometimes when we are young we make bad decisions in high emotion situations. But as my old football coach told, don't celebrate a win like you didn't expect to. I was never a celebratory person when it came to sports.

[Amanda_1981]

I think the press blew this way out of proportion... I mean, they had just won the gold medal so of course they were excited and wanted to party.. and like someone else said, it's not like they did it on live camera or anything.. it was well after everyone had left the stadium... I'd be doing the same if I won a gold medal!! And it's not like they were doing drugs or anything.. it was just beer and cigars! No harm in that. The only thing I can see sort of being an issue is under age drinking... but even with that.. she was only under by one year, so I don't think there's really any reason or cause to make a huge issue out of it like the press is doing... no harm was done, they just were happy they won and were celebrating good times is all

[jahrderglad]

I am a Canadian, a huge hockey fan (kinda redundant, haha), and a former female hockey player, so I feel very strongly about this. The IOC is being so, so stupid. In men's hockey, even when I was a kid, if a game was nearly over and it was obvious which team would win, that team would light up cigars and start to drink on the ice--DURING THE GAME. And no one complained. If you ask a random person on the street to name three things they associate with Canada, what will they say? Probably 1) Hockey, 2) Beer, and 3) You can get Cuban cigars there legally. I believe the way these women celebrated was nothing short of patriotic. And hey, at least they weren't actually smoking weed (though I wouldn't have been surprised if they were, since it's Vancouver--nicknamed "Vansterdam" by some due to the proliferation of high-grade marijuana and rather lax marijuana laws in the area). I think the IOC is being so whiny about this because these players are women. I don't know how the Canadian men's team celebrated, but were they to do the exact same thing, no one would say a word--and that makes me very mad. They said it's not "ladylike." WHEN WAS HOCKEY ITSELF EVER "LADYLIKE?!" Jeez!

And with respect to the underage drinking issue...Marie-Philip Poulin is eighteen. The legal drinking age in British Columbia is nineteen, so she did break the law, technically (she turns 19 in a month)...however, in her home province of Quebec, she is legally old enough to drink. I think it's stupid that she shouldn't be able to drink to celebrate her olympic victory, but she is able to drink at home. And having a few celebratory beers is much better than what many other notable athletes do to celebrate their wins...anyway, if anyone is to be penalized, it's the one underaged drinker, not the whole team...

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by jahrderglad

And with respect to the underage drinking issue...Marie-Philip Poulin is eighteen. The legal drinking age in British Columbia is nineteen, so she did break the law, technically (she turns 19 in a month)...however, in her home province of Quebec, she is legally old enough to drink. I think it's stupid that she shouldn't be able to drink to celebrate her olympic victory, but she is able to drink at home. And having a few celebratory beers is much better than what many other notable athletes do to celebrate their wins...anyway, if anyone is to be penalized, it's the one underaged drinker, not the whole team...

Good point